News. Sunday, December 9:00 & 10:30am. Sunday, December 9:00 & 10:30am

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1 News December 2018 Sunday, December 9:00 & 10:30am On Sunday, December 9th, our Kid's Choir will present Star Search during each morning service. You will hear the Christmas story from the point of view of a group of stars trying to decide which of them will be the one to guide the way to Jesus on the first Christmas night. Please invite friends and family to join us. Sunday, December 9:00 & 10:30am The SAF Worship choir will present Night of the Father's Love on Sunday, December 16th during both morning services. All of the mystery, the awe, and the palpable excitement of that night will be enjoyed through a Christmas mosaic of familiar and unique music. You won't want to miss it, and neither will your friends or family!

2 John Kitchen, Senior Pastor What Child is This? Hundreds of years before Mary and Joseph waddled into Bethlehem God had already designated the place of Messiah s birth. At the request of Herod the Bible scholars of the day were able to put their finger on the spot where the Christ would be born (Matt. 2:4-6). They simply quoted Micah 5:2: But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. While the place might have been predicable, just what the Magi would find once they arrived there was not so well understood. The prophet had said they would find One whose goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity (NASB). In other words the newborn they would find there would be the timeless, eternal God, now in human flesh. The One the visitors were to celebrate was in actual fact the One who knows no beginning or end, He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Rev. 22:13). He is the one who declares the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose (Isa. 46:10). Using more theological wording, the Apostle Paul said the same thing in describing Jesus: He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Col. 1:17). The one hugged by Bethlehem s barn was the Creator who had made not only that place, but the entire universe. But more than His timelessness is celebrated by Paul: in him all things hold together. Jesus is, if you will, the glue that holds the universe together. Matter itself cannot cohere without His sustaining ministry. Were Jesus to fail for a nanosecond to sustain His constant keeping power over this creation, reality as we know it would disintegrate. The laws of nature would no longer be consistent and dependable; logic would cease; up could be down and down could be up; matter itself would explode as atomic particles spin out of their orbits! But this provokes one to wonder in worship, doesn t it? How did Jesus sustain all things while He was just a baby? But it also makes us ask: How would the truth of Jesus sustaining power of the universe help someone I know? After all, we are surrounded by people whose lives seem to be spinning out of control. Sometime this month we will again sing that great Christmas hymn, What Child Is This? In doing so we will ask again What Child is this, who, laid to rest, On Mary s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping? And again we will once more exclaim in worship of Jesus This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing: Haste, haste to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary! I invite you to once again praise the Lord for His sustaining grace in our world and in your life. I call you once again to present to Jesus the confusing and chaotic circumstances you face and ask Him to make sense of them. Would you take the opportunity to share the hope of Jesus by inviting at least one person to join you at our Christmas programs on Sunday mornings, Dec. 9 and 16 and our Christmas Eve services?

3 Share the joy this Christmas season! There are many families within our church and community who are going through hardship. This outreach is a wonderful opportunity for you to help provide Christmas gifts for these children. There are several ways you can be involved in this ministry: By nominating a family! Nomination forms can be obtained in the office and must be submitted by Sunday, December 2nd Contribute financially. Monetary contributions will be used to purchase gift cards redeemable for families to purchase gifts for children. A special envelope is included in the worship folder. Fill in your name on the envelope to receive giving credit. Finally, we need help delivering Christmas cookies, cards, and gift cards to the nominated families! Check Share the Joy Delivery Team on the Communication Card or call the church office at if you are interested in serving in this way. For Adults Nominating Committee - Please pray for the 2018 Nominating Committee as they complete their work. The members are Pastor Kitchen, Tom Horsfall, Larry Parker, Marlynn Soliwoda, and Lois Webb. They also welcome your questions or input as they seek to nominate those God would like in positions of elected service in Stow Alliance Fellowship. Feel free to contact any one of them with your questions or thoughts. Treasurer Notes - Thank you for your faithful giving to SAF. Your giving enables us to continue our ministry. As we near the end of the year, I wanted to let you know that we are currently short nearly $23,000 of our budgeted giving for this year. We ve been able to fund our various ministries so far but lower giving in recent months means we may be short on funds by the end of the year and has also necessitated some adjustments to next year s budget. We are thankful for all that you do to support SAF! We serve a mighty God who can do more than we ask or imagine! (Ephesians 3:20) Please be in prayer concerning this budget shortfall and how we might work together to end the year well. Pray that God would provide what we need to meet our budget and to continue in the ministry He s called us to now and in the years to come. Year End Giving - All cash or check gifts for 2018 must be received or postmarked by December 31, 2018 to be counted in the 2018 giving year. All online giving for 2018 must be done by Thursday, December 20, 2018 to be counted in the 2018 giving year. Due to differences in bank processing it may take over a week for the money to be deposited in our bank. Also, all online givers should have received an reminding them to change any recurring gifts from 2018 giving funds to 2019 giving funds. Thank you for your generosity and faithful giving throughout the year! We are truly blessed. Stewardship Update Through November 18, 2018: TITHES & OFFERINGS Month Year-to-Date Actual $ 39,529 $597,417 Budget 40, ,230 Amount Over/(Under) Budget (986) (26,813) GREAT COMMISSION FUND Actual $ 9,750 $148,675 Promises 3,936 60,352 Amount Over/(Under) Promises 5,814 88,323 PRAISE Plan Thank you for supporting the Praise Plan! Your continued gifts will help us with future projects.

4 For Adults Cont. LIFE Groups - LIFE Groups will be taking a break during the month of December to celebrate the holidays and participate in the many Christmas programs. Our last meeting will be Friday, November 30th for Friday evening groups and Sunday, December 2nd for Sunday evening groups. We will resume on Friday, January 4th and Sunday, January 6th. If you would like to sign up for a life group, please contact Pastor Miller at Winter Coat Drive - Haven of Rest is in need of winter coats of all sizes. If you have any new or gently used coats that you would like to donate, please bring them to church and place them on the coat rack in the lobby designated Haven of Rest Coat Drive. Coats will be collected through December 2nd. Winter scarves, hats, mittens, gloves, and warm footwear are also needed. A bin will be placed under the coat rack to place these items in. Christmas Giving Tree - Take an ornament off the Haven of Rest Christmas Giving Tree located in the lobby and purchase a Christmas gift for a Haven of Rest/Harvest Home resident! Return the gifts, unwrapped, to the tree area no later than December 2nd. Poinsettias - Would you like to help decorate the sanctuary for the Christmas season by purchasing red or white poinsettia plant(s) in memory of a loved one or in honor of someone special? We will be taking orders through Sunday, December 16th in the church office. Cost is $8 per plant. Please pay for your plant when you place your order. You may take your poinsettia(s) home after second service on Sunday morning, December 23rd or following the Christmas Eve service on Monday, December 24th. Prime Timers - The Prime Timers will be having a catered Christmas Luncheon on Thursday, December 20th at 12:30pm. Donations of canned regular or decaf coffee will be collected for Haven of Rest. Lunch cost is $8. Please contact Donna Malm ( ) by Sunday, December 16th to sign up. Christmas Eve Service - will begin at 7:00pm on Monday, December 24th. The entire family is encouraged to join in worship in the sanctuary. Childcare for children birth through 2 years old will be provided. Office Holiday Hours - The church office will be closed Monday, December 24th, Tuesday, December 25th, Monday, December 31st, and Tuesday, January 1st to celebrate the holidays. Lost & Found - The lost and found is getting full! Please check the cabinet located in the mailroom and the coat racks for lost items. There is also a number of dishes that have been left from various events. If you are missing a dish, please check the seasons room kitchen. All remaining dishes and items will be donated at the end of the year. Especially for Men Men s Breakfast - Men of all ages are invited to join us for breakfast and fellowship on the first Saturday of each month. We will meet on Saturday, December 1st at 7:30am in the Seasons Room. Come and bring a friend! Especially For Women MOPS - Mothers of Pre-Schoolers - MOPS is a group offering hope, encouragement, community, and mothering support to mothers of children from birth through 5 years old. Come join local moms on Tuesday, December 11th from 9:30-11:30am. Childcare will be provided.

5 For Children Kid s Christmas Craft Night - Kids Kindergarten-5th grade are invited to an evening of crafts and Christmas fun on Wednesday, December 12th from 7:00-8:30pm. If you are currently not in Awana but would like to attend, please RSVP to Darlene Risjan by Sunday, December 9th. Service in Children s Ministry - There are several positions that are needing to be filled! We are looking for a volunteer to help out on Sunday mornings in the Preschool classroom during 1st service. We also are in need of volunteers for Awana on Wednesday evenings. Please contact Darlene Risjan at: or drisjan@stowalliance.org if you are willing to help. Please consider volunteering your time and your energy to these children to help further God's Kingdom. Stow Alliance Preschool SAP Christmas Program - All are welcome to join us on Friday, December 14th for the Stow Alliance Preschool Christmas Program at 6:00pm in the sanctuary. There will be a time of fellowship following the program in the gym. If you would like to provide cookies (no nuts please), please bring them to church by Thursday, December 13th. Acme Receipts - The preschool is collecting Acme receipts as a fundraiser. SAP will receive 5% cash back on all Acme brand purchases. You can turn your receipts into the designated box at the preschool or church office through December 31st, Thank you for your support of SAP! Youth Ministries Cookie Outreach & Game Night - All students are welcome to come and hang out at church on Friday December 7th from 5:00-10:00pm. Pizza will be provided. We are going to make cookies (to deliver to local police and fire stations), and have some fun games planned. Feel free to bring a snack to share. Sign up in the Café. Christmas Party - All students are invited to our Christmas Party on Wednesday, December 19th in the youth wing from 7:00-8:30pm (*note, there will be no cafe that day). Please also bring a snack or dessert to share and be sure to bring a friend! No youth group on Wednesday, December 26th or January 2nd. We will resume on Wednesday, January 9th. LIFE Meeting We will be having a Life meeting for parents and youth attending LIFE on Wednesday, January 9th 6:30-7:00pm. Please plan on attending. We will meet downstairs in our prayer room. Sports Ministries Men s Basketball plays on Saturdays from 9:00 11:00am. Come and join us! Co-Ed Volleyball - will play on Saturday, December 8th and 22nd from 7:00-9:00pm. Come and join us!

6 Our SAF Family October Birthdays December Birthdays Barb Ruppel 12/1 Jason Lohmier 12/2 Diane Dias 12/3 Jerry Dorton Rita Thomas 12/4 Michele Collins 12/5 Walt Thompson 12/6 Dan Trowbridge 12/8 Toni Kuno 12/9 Jason Wedo 12/10 Mary Smith 12/12 Carol Sumner Gloria Thompson 12/17 George Utterback 12/18 Chuck Williams Steve Williams 12/19 Bill Azzarello 12/20 Rick Donze 12/21 Ezekiel Chapman Darlene Risjan 12/24 Jen Wedo Paul Trowbridge 12/28 Graham Alvarez 12/29 Amy Donze Doris Steele Jennifer Maxfield 12/30 December Anniversaries Rob & Marlene Osborn 12/7 Harold & Theda Rowland 12/11 Pastor John & Julie Kitchen 12/17 H ppy Anniversary! Chuck & Pam Whittington 12/21 Hulan & Patricia Hedrick 12/23 Norm & Sue Armentrout 12/30 If you are not currently on our birthday and/or anniversary list and would like to be, please call the church office and let us know! Our Christian Sympathy To Bill Luley and family on the death of Bill s mother, Leda, on November 1st.